Earlier this month, we learned that Bridget Jones’s Diary producers had hired Patrick Dempsey to co-star opposite stars Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth in the franchise’s long-awaited third film. At the time, no other information was offered about Dempsey’s role in the latest movie centering on Helen Fielding’s famous character. Given that Hugh Grantdropped out of the project last fall, though, we figured that Dempsey might be filling the required Bridget Jones film role of tousle-haired charmer who tempts Bridge away from her more sincere love interest, Mark Darcy. And while Dempsey’s role has not yet been revealed, the Grey’s Anatomy defector did offer a status update on his first post-McDreamy project.

On Wednesday, Dempsey Instagrammed a photo of himself in England during a break from rehearsals. Alongside the picture, Dempsey also kindly offered a status update on the long-awaited sequel. “Nice to be working in England. Renee and Colin are an absolute joy to work with! A good couple of days rehearsing at Pinewood Studios. I really like it here!”

The new film will reportedly be called Bridget Jones’s Baby and will be directed by Sharon Maguire, who helmed the first film in the franchise. Per Deadline, the new film will be based on Fielding’s columns and not her latest novel, Mad About the Boy, which killed off Firth’s character. According to the same report, the new movie will catch up with Bridge as she enters her 40s and juggles her career as a publishing executive, a pregnancy, and, we imagine, a delightfully clumsy romantic life.

Lost –– Desmond and Penny

This show’s best love scene didn’t involve kissing at all. That would be couple’s great long-distance phone call in Season 4’s “The Constant.” And though we had seen Desmond and Penny smooch in flashbacks, there was nothing quite like this reunion on Penny’s boat. Jack/Kate/Sawyer, eat your heart out.

Parks and Recreation –– Leslie and Ben

The gentle chemistry between Amy Poehler and Adam Scott has been one of this show’s strongest elements. The will they/won’t they of this storyline only dragged out a little as these two work-driven individuals were forced into deciding between jobs they loved and each other. The beauty is that they never really had to choose. One wonderful wedding, several career opportunities, and three children later, the Knope-Wyatts continue to have it all.

Orange is the New Black –– Piper and Alex

Like Desmond and Penny, these two had already gotten plenty of action in flashback scenes. But this steamy reunion (in a chapel no less!), turned everything around in episode 9 of the first season. Piper and Alex may be kind of (very?) toxic together, but their pull is undeniable.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer –– Spike and Buffy

If there was ever an episode that gave the people what they wanted, it was “Once More with Feeling” in Season 6. Poor Spike (TV’s finest example of the bad-boy-redeemed-by-love trope) finally got to kiss the slayer (when they both weren’t under the influence of a spell) and Joss Whedon let them have the final crescendo of the show’s musical episode. Buffy and Spike are another toxic couple, but this moment, a culmination of a lot of soulful longing on the part of James Marsters, was a showstopper.

Moonlighting –– Maddie and David

You could pick any kiss you wanted between these two and it would be a winner. Unfortunately, these days, everyone remembers Moonlighting as a cautionary tale. When Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepard consummated their relationship in the middle of Season 3, the ratings declined. But what people don’t talk about is how often (and how passionately) Maddie and David locked lips before Season 3. The show was endlessly creative about using dream sequences and fantasy plots to get these two together as often as possible. And every one of those kisses? Dynamite.

The Office (U.K.) –– Tim and Dawn

Why Tim and Dawn and not Jim and Pam? Well, with apologies to the Americans, the British Office did it first and they did it better. The will they/won’t they of Tim and Dawn spanned 14 tight episodes. (Jim and Pam had to keep the magic alive for nine long seasons.) And though Tim and Dawn shared a few smooches on the road to this one, this kiss in the final minutes of the final episode was the most satisfying because we, the audience, knew it was forever. The two don’t really talk onscreen after the kissing is done and the series closes out on their beaming faces as the pair snuggles up to their office mates.

Cheers –– Sam and Diane

This is it, the kiss that started it all. Before there was Maddie and David or Ross and Rachel or Josh and Donna there was Sam and Diane. Ted Danson and Shelley Long sparked and sparred all through the first season until a fantastic blowout in the back office led to this explosive kiss. It was never better than this, the Sam and Diane relationship waxed and waned, and Long left the show in Season 5. Cheers did fine without her, it was more of an ensemble show at that point, but the the influence of Sam and Diane and this passionate kiss is one of the show’s most defining legacies.

Lost –– Desmond and Penny

This show’s best love scene didn’t involve kissing at all. That would be couple’s great long-distance phone call in Season 4’s “The Constant.” And though we had seen Desmond and Penny smooch in flashbacks, there was nothing quite like this reunion on Penny’s boat. Jack/Kate/Sawyer, eat your heart out.

Parks and Recreation –– Leslie and Ben

The gentle chemistry between Amy Poehler and Adam Scott has been one of this show’s strongest elements. The will they/won’t they of this storyline only dragged out a little as these two work-driven individuals were forced into deciding between jobs they loved and each other. The beauty is that they never really had to choose. One wonderful wedding, several career opportunities, and three children later, the Knope-Wyatts continue to have it all.

Orange is the New Black –– Piper and Alex

Like Desmond and Penny, these two had already gotten plenty of action in flashback scenes. But this steamy reunion (in a chapel no less!), turned everything around in episode 9 of the first season. Piper and Alex may be kind of (very?) toxic together, but their pull is undeniable.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer –– Spike and Buffy

If there was ever an episode that gave the people what they wanted, it was “Once More with Feeling” in Season 6. Poor Spike (TV’s finest example of the bad-boy-redeemed-by-love trope) finally got to kiss the slayer (when they both weren’t under the influence of a spell) and Joss Whedon let them have the final crescendo of the show’s musical episode. Buffy and Spike are another toxic couple, but this moment, a culmination of a lot of soulful longing on the part of James Marsters, was a showstopper.

The West Wing –– Josh and Donna

Did they wait too long to put these two together? Seven seasons? It’s a pity Josh and Donna, who were clearly headed here from the start, couldn’t have their big moment while Aaron Sorkin was still writing for the show. But this kiss, which starts innocent and goes pretty quickly for eleven, was a relief for those who had been waiting since Season 1.

New Girl –– Nick and Jess

New Girl didn’t really stick the landing when they put Nick and Jess together, but this kiss packed a mighty punch thanks to the powerful chemistry between Jake Johnson and Zooey Deschanel.

Friends –– Ross and Rachel

This early Season 2 kiss, when Friends was at the height of its power, delivered on some pretty solid sitcom yearning from Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer. So many parts of their relationship became pop-culture buzzwords. He bought her a crystal duck! She went to the airport! They’re each other’s lobster! And though the rest of their relationship is rocky (they were on a break!), it all ended with a happily (she got off the plane!) ever after.

Northern Exposure –– Joel and Maggie

This sparring pair enjoyed a highly verbal and combative relationship for four seasons before taking a literal roll in the hay. In fact, in this episode alone, Maggie punched Joel in the nose twice before finally succumbing to their mutual passion. All of it, the punching and the passion, was blamed on the mysterious influence of the coho winds, and Joel and Maggie never really managed to make it work in the end.

The Mindy Project –– Danny and Mindy

I think we all thought the best thing Chris Messina would ever do on The Mindy Project was dance. We were wrong. Despite the non-romantic setting (near the airplane bathrooms,Danny, really?), Messina and Kaling sold the hell out of this passionate moment. It took them a little more breaking up and making it up before they finally made it work, but their kisses remain powerful as ever.

The Vampire Diaries –– Damon and Elena

You’re looking at the chemistry that the CW built its brand on. The massive success of The Vampire Diaries helped the CW grow their audience to the point where now the cable network is winning Golden Globes and way ahead of the comic book TV show game. But back to Damon and Elena. This third season kiss blew the show’s original couple (Damon and Stefan) to smithereens. There was no going back from here. It wasn’t the first on-screen kiss between Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder (who dated in real life), but it’s certainly the one that counts.

E.R. –– Carol and Doug

What’s beautiful about Carol and Doug’s Seattle-based happily ever after is that absolutely nobody saw it coming. George Clooney, who had been off the show for a year, returned to reunite with his on-screen love and send Julianna Margulies off in style. Clooney lied to the press and said he wouldn’t come back while Warner Bros. and NBC kept his cameo a secret (something you couldn’t do now).

Frasier –– Niles and Daphne

Seven seasons. This show waited seven long seasons before putting Daphne together with Niles. Perhaps Frasier didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor Cheers (we’ll get there), or perhaps David Hyde Pierce was just too good at haplessly pining. Either way, it was worth the wait.

Shameless –– Mickey and Ian

Not the first kiss between these two, but, significantly, it is their first very public kiss. As Mickey finally comes to terms with his sexuality, he and Ian put the P in PDA. All other encounters between these two before had been violent, furtive, or somehow shameful. This one? Well, it’s pretty shameless.

Outlander –– Jamie and Claire

The famous wedding night episode of Outlander is told a little out of order, so the first kiss these two share onscreen is not their timid, ceremonial one, but this scorching, honeymoon barn burner. Audiences had been waiting for seven episodes to see these two consummate their obvious affection and Outlander
didn’t disappoint. The show’s depiction of wedding night sex was entirely unusual and enormously satisfying. It all started with this kiss.

The Gilmore Girls –– Luke and Lorelai

Luke and Lorelai seem destined from the very first scene of this charming show, when she cutely begs him for coffee and he gives her grief. But that sweet and sometimes salty dynamic stayed in the friend zone until the end of Season 4. This kiss was interrupted (dammit, Kirk!), but there were many more to come. I don’t always love what happened with these two in later seasons (they should never have broken up), but this consummation is sweetly perfect.

The Good Wife –– Will and Alicia

Elevators may never be the same again. The Good Wife knew the significance of this Season 2 finale scene and gave it all the weight it deserved. Will and Alicia, old school friends and current co-workers, step into an elevator and as the doors slide open and shut on the long, long way to the top they inch closer. Perfect television perfectly executed. Let’s linger on the satisfaction here and not the tragedy to come.

The X-Files –– Mulder and Scully

The X-Files creator Chris Carter is on record as not being a fan of the will they/won’t they dynamic. That’s why the tension between Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny feels so different. It’s there, but it’s never the focus of the show. And though there’s an alternate reality kiss before this New Year’s kiss in Season 7, this is the first time Mulder and Scully take their relationship to the next level. And it’s so sweet and gentle, the antithesis of the passionate clinches that so often define this kind of TV moment. Most of the rest of their relationship plays out offscreen (much to the frustration of some), and never overwhelms the premise of the show. But we’ll always have this tender moment.

Moonlighting –– Maddie and David

You could pick any kiss you wanted between these two and it would be a winner. Unfortunately, these days, everyone remembers Moonlighting as a cautionary tale. When Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepard consummated their relationship in the middle of Season 3, the ratings declined. But what people don’t talk about is how often (and how passionately) Maddie and David locked lips before Season 3. The show was endlessly creative about using dream sequences and fantasy plots to get these two together as often as possible. And every one of those kisses? Dynamite.

The Office (U.K.) –– Tim and Dawn

Why Tim and Dawn and not Jim and Pam? Well, with apologies to the Americans, the British Office did it first and they did it better. The will they/won’t they of Tim and Dawn spanned 14 tight episodes. (Jim and Pam had to keep the magic alive for nine long seasons.) And though Tim and Dawn shared a few smooches on the road to this one, this kiss in the final minutes of the final episode was the most satisfying because we, the audience, knew it was forever. The two don’t really talk onscreen after the kissing is done and the series closes out on their beaming faces as the pair snuggles up to their office mates.

Cheers –– Sam and Diane

This is it, the kiss that started it all. Before there was Maddie and David or Ross and Rachel or Josh and Donna there was Sam and Diane. Ted Danson and Shelley Long sparked and sparred all through the first season until a fantastic blowout in the back office led to this explosive kiss. It was never better than this, the Sam and Diane relationship waxed and waned, and Long left the show in Season 5. Cheers did fine without her, it was more of an ensemble show at that point, but the the influence of Sam and Diane and this passionate kiss is one of the show’s most defining legacies.